Master of Software Engineering

Finally, I am an MSE. That's, Master of Software Engineering. I just finished presenting my capstone project at Carroll University.

A lot of people don't know what Software Engineering is. Is it related to Development? Is it really an Engineering discipline? I'd like to take this time to talk a little bit about what I think a Software Engineer is.

Let's start with the official definition of 'Software Engineer'. Any search these days starts with Wikipedia, and in fact, Wikipedia has a nice listing for 'Software Engineering', with lots of references. Here is the first paragraph:

Software engineering (SE) is a profession dedicated to designing, implementing, and modifying software so that it is of higher quality, more affordable, maintainable, and faster to build. It is a "systematic approach to the analysis, design, assessment, implementation, test, maintenance and re-engineering of a software by applying engineering to the software".[1] The term software engineering first appeared in the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference, and was meant to provoke thought regarding the perceived "software crisis" at the time.[2][3] Since the field is still relatively young compared to its sister fields of engineering, there is still much debate around what software engineering actually is, and if it conforms to the classical definition of engineering.[4] The IEEE Computer Society's Software Engineering Body of Knowledge defines "software engineering" as the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software.[5] It is the application of Engineering to software because it integrates significant mathematics, computer science and practices whose origins are in Engineering.[6]

Wikipedia, Dec 24, 2010

If I were to put that rather lengthy description into my own short words, it would be: Software Engineering is a way to build better software by studying and applying a systematic, disciplined and quantifiable approach to the development process.

You see, to me, the key characteristic is that while Software Engineering includes software development, it really goes beyond just writing code or applications.  It is the study and practice of the processes that will make writing applications better.  Better may not mean faster or cheaper but will always mean higher quality. Although, sometimes, it will mean faster and cheaper, but usually in the long run.  So Software Engineering really expands into all the different tasks surrounding a system - business definition, requirements gathering, analysis, design, testing, and support.  A Software engineer should know about all these phases in the life cycle and should be involved with all of them.

But developing software is not exactly akin to designing a bridge or a car.  There's still a component of craftsmanship or artistry involved with software development. Methodologies can be used to improve estimates, quality, and outcomes, but there is also a large component that is more akin to writing a novel or creating a movie than to building a bridge or designing a car.

It is in that part of the software development process where the art of development presents itself.  Writing software is a creative and abstract task with many different ways to solve a problem.  In some cases, a single, best, solution can be found, but in so many others, there isn't one.  In that regard, some developers are artists, some developers really aren’t, and never will be. The rest of us are aspiring to be one of the great ones. We are competent technicians, writing our works, but not gifted with the ability to produce masterpieces.  Here is where what we learn and the techniques we apply from Software Engineering Study allow us to produce pieces of software that are in fact, solid and elegant.  We won't be writing the next Mona Lisa, but by following proper techniques, using the best practices, studying what works, and applying them consistently and rigorously, we can produce consistent, appealing work with high levels of quality.  If we work hard, people might one day also recognize us as an artist.

Perhaps not a Michelangelo, but maybe a Bob Ross.